Learning to be Minerva
by smalltumbleweed
Summary: Ten-year-old Minna McGonagall, by turns shy, serious, loving, and impish, has no idea what wide world awaits her outside the loving circle of her family.
1. Braids

Title: Learning to be Minerva

Author: smalltumbleweed

Pairing: McGonagall/Hooch (Well, it's heading there eventually. In years & years.)

Rating: G

Summary: Snapshots of Minerva's girlhood, starting just before her first year. Part one of . . .?

Disclaimer: I make no money off this and own none of it.

A/N: This undoubtedly has elements of Minerva stories throughout the fandom because I swear I've read them all. The only specific thing I borrowed was the idea that she comes from a large family of sisters, and I took that from Debbie B

"Mum, please!"

"Absolutely not! What will your grandmother say?"

"Gram would say it's brilliant!"

"Eleanor!"

"Mum, please, no one at Hogwarts has long hair anymore. No one."

"Lucky for you Minna starts this year."

"Oh, lovely" Ellie's voice dripped sarcasm as she stalked off "you can aspire to look like your ten year old sister."

"Katherine?" her father's voice cut in. "He's almost here. Where have those little girls gotten to?"

"Heaven if I know what with Eleanor on about her hair all this time!"

"Aye, it's the age, m'love, nothing you can do about it."

Minna and Claire, hiding in their playhouse in the cupboard under the stairs stifled their giggles.

"Poor Ellie" Minna whispered.

Her little sister nodded and then wrinkled her brow."But, Min, you always look smart. Everyone says so. Especially today."

Minna shrugged and considered. She and Claire were dressed almost-matching. Her skirt and cardigan were dark blue with red rickrack trim, which matched the trim on her peter-pan collared blouse. Claire's was red with blue. Both girls wore plaits. "Well, but Ellie thinks she's terribly old now that she's in seventh year. And I suppose the big girls have more grown up hairstyles."

"Huh" Claire was unimpressed. "Ellie could pin up her braids if she's got a problem with them down."

"That's just it, though, I don't think girls do that anymore. Not in London."

"Well, Bridie McGregor has more beaux than any girl in the village and she still pins her hair up" Claire replied staunchly, as if that settled it and then added, "I'm always going to wear my hair long, and when I get big enough to go to Hogwarts and be Head Girl too, I'll still have it pinned in braids and I'll beat up anyone who slights me for it."

Minna giggled. "You can't go beating people up when you're a great girl like that goosey."

"Just watch and see!" Claire narrowed her eyes mock-threateningly.

"Then you'll never have a beau!"

"Didn't say I wanted one, did I?"

"No, but--"

"Minerva McGonagall, don't tell me you fancy any horrid boys!" Claire shrieked and then suddenly her ten-year-old eyes were serious. "Mins, you promised."

"I know! But one day, right? When we're really old enough. Not like Ellie, but you know, proper ladies."

"Oh that, huh! That's ages away. I meant," Claire paused "You know. You Promised."

"That has nothing to do with beaux, silly! And of course I remember Promising."

"Good, because if you so much as get near the slimey likes of Davey Fulton--"

"Ewwwwww!" Minna shrieked and shoved Claire, who tickled her. Claire was younger but stronger and had Minna pinned underneath her writhing with laughter. The girls' father was adamant about no fighting, but heaven help him if he could prevent the epic tickle wars. "Ha! I win again, Mins, say it!"

"You . . . don't . . . either" Minna gasped, stomach muscles aching from laughter, trying to wriggle out from under Claire. With an almighty heave she upset Claire, the upended wooden crate, both buckets they sat on, and their entire tin-cup tea service. Minna had just righted herself against the cupboard door when Claire lauched back at her, howling like a harpy. Minna's collar caught on the the cupboard latch, it opened, and both girls tumbled out into the main room still laughing.

They stopped short, though, as they rolled to a halt at a pair of exceedingly handsome black boots and heard a moan of dismay from their big sister. "This is absolutely the last straw. Oh, professor, I am so deeply embarrassed."

Minna looked up at the figure who belonged to the handsome boots. He was extremely tall. Taller, even, than her dad, with long auburn hair set off by his stylish suit of deep green velvet. No one had told her there would be a visitor today, so she did the only thing she could think to do. She leapt to her feet at once, fixed the stranger with her most winning smile, offered her hand and said "Please excuse the mess, Sir, I'm ever-so pleased to meet you."

"And I, you. Am I to presume you are Minerva?" He spoke gravely, but the twinkle of mirth in his eyes told Minna she had nothing to fear.

"Aye, I am!"

He beamed at her. "Miss. McGonagall, my name is Professor Dumbledore. I am the Professor of Transfiguration at Hogwarts School. I shall be one of your teachers this year, and, rumor has it, perhaps your head of house as well?"

Suddenly shy, Minna just nodded. So this was her sister's big visitor, the one who was here to talk with her parents about her Head Girl duties. She had heard of Professor Dumbledore, of course, but she rather thought he would be more like Ellie-- proper, orderly, solemn-- and not so twinkly as her father.

"Can I get you tea, Albus?" her mother's voice broke in.

"Yes, thank you, Katherine" he replied graciously, moving away with her and Eleanor towards the sitting room.

"You know my reservations, Albus, what with--" but Minna couldn't hear the rest of what her mother said.

"Claire, Minna, come here" their father called. He sat down on the stairs and pulled one girl onto each knee. "That's no way to be carrying on, you know, in your traveling outfits with a visitor over." He reproved them gently.

"But, Daddy, we didn't know about the visitor!" Claire protested.

"Claire! You heard your mother this morning. Dress in your smart clothes for traveling, hair ribbons please, and no running amok outdoors, because we're going into London to get Ellie and Minna's school things."

"She didn't say no tickling!" Claire insisted.

"Are you going to force me to punish you, Claire?"

"No, Dad."

"I didn't think so" he chuckled. He never could lay a hand on any of his children, particularly these two, but occasionally he threatened. That it was an empty threat was an open secret, but they respected him for it, and it seemed to work.

"Daddy, can I ask you a question?" Minna sensed that the lecture was over.

"Quickly, Mins. Your mum and I have to have a serious talk with Professor Dumbledore."

"It's about Professor Dumbledore. Does he know Mum? Because he called her Katherine."

"We were all at school together" her father replied, smiling. "He was the year below us and a dear friend. Now. Take these, go find your big sister and share them, and ask her please to tidy you two up so you'll be ready to leave" he handed the girls three chocolate frogs. "No running, and if your shoes come back dusty or your socks dirty, I can't account for what your mother will do."

The girls giggled. "Thank you, Daddy."


	2. Baby

Title: Learning to be Minerva

Author: smalltumbleweed

Pairing: McGonagall/Hooch (Well, it's heading there eventually.)

Rating: G

Summary: Snapshots of Minerva's girlhood, starting just before her first year. Part two of . . .?

A/N : This undoubtedly has elements of Minerva stories throughout the fandom because I swear I've read them all.

There were five McGonagall children. There had been seven, but the middle boys (between Eleanor and Minerva) had died in the wasting fever of 1929, leaving the three girls and the twins Will and Meg. Meg had returned from Hogwarts that summer with her sweetheart and married immediately, setting up housekeeping in a tidy little cottage in the village. It was just a hop skip and a jump from the McGonagall house to Meg's cottage.

"Race you, Mins!" Claire grinned wickedly. It was a gorgeous morning. It had rained the evening before and the ground was still springy and damp, the sky was wonderfully blue.

"Claire! Daddy said we musn't!"

"He said to go to Meg's with chocolate frogs and ask her to tidy us up."

"So we can't get mussier than we are!"

"Mussier isn't a word" Claire giggled.

"Is too!"

"Is not! Anyway you're just too chicken to race me."

"Am not!"

"Are so!"

"Am not! I'm the fastest child in the whole village."

"Not once you go to Hogwarts! Then it's me."

"So? I'm not there yet, am I?"

"So race me!"

"Daddy said not to!"

"You're just scared you'll loose. Chicken! Chicken!"

"I'm not either chicken!"

"Sissy then!" Claire grinned, triumphant. "Catch me if you can!" and she took off running, shiny loafers pounding the country lane. The taunt was too much for Minerva. Before she could think she was off running, plaits and ribbons out like streamers behind her. Not for nothing was she the fastest child in the village. She caught up to Claire easily, but ran harder, faster, for the sheer joy of going so fast. Flying was almost as good, and Minerva was a fair flyer, but flying didn't give her that heady light feeling or leave her so delightfully winded. She skidded to a halt in front of Meg's cottage, gasping for breath, waiting on the porch steps for Claire to catch her up.

"Mins, you've gotten faster!" Claire panted, arriving on the steps, her braids disheveled and collar wilted. Minna grinned. She had grown that summer, an inch at least, and fear of having to be a proper lady in secondary school kept her out of the house and racing as much of the summer as she could.

"Sweet Merlin! What on earth is going on? You scared me half to death!" Their big sister Meg flew out of the house, still drying dishes. "I thought you were going to London today?" Minerva bit her lip and explained.

"And how am I supposed to tidy you lot up when you've been running and screeching down the lane in your best shoes?" Meg scolded.

"I told you we shouldn't have run!" Minna hissed at Claire.

"You didn't have to!"

"It was your fault!"

"I didn't make you!"

"You called me a sissy!"

"Girls!" Meg put an end to their squabbling. "I can't hear myself think," she muttered, sounding like their mother. "Let's see," she surveyed them. "There's no real harm done, nothing dirty or torn. Take your cardigans and blouses off because we'll have to iron them again. Wash your faces, we can re-braid your hair, your shoes are fine, we can dust them off . . . and you've got a clean set of socks at home, haven't you?" Minna nodded. "Good. Well, get to! I'm sure your undershirts are decent enough for the porch and Dan's in London this week anyhow for the Ministry."

"Oh!" Minna said, suddenly remembering, "We brought you these!" she handed her sister the frogs. At the last minute she thought it better to give Meg all three of them. She and Claire were rather more of a nuisance than Dad had expected.

"Go on with you!" Meg laughed, taking the frogs and sending Minna through the door with a cuff. "Bribing an old pregnant lady!"

Meg set Claire up on a high stool with one of Will's old adventure books to read, "To keep you occupied and out of trouble!" she admonished, before taking Minna on her lap to braid her hair. "Soon I'll have too big a belly to put anyone on this lap!" she confided in Minna's ear, as she took out her brush. Minna smiled at her sister. "But, what's this? You're too tall for my lap already, lass!" Meg exclaimed, as she found she couldn't really settle Minna at a proper distance for brushing.

"I'm not!" Minna said, worry overcoming her for the moment.

"Aye, but you are! There, you sit, I'll stand," Meg said, getting up. Minna looked back over her shoulder at her big sister, troubled. "Turn around, love, or I'll never get this hair of yours up." Minna's hair was past her waist when it was unbraided, thick and satiny fine. "One braid or two?"

"Two!" Minna was adamant. She stole a look at Claire, who was totally immersed in the book. "Meg?" she whispered.

"Yes, pet?"

"Why am I too big for your lap suddenly?"

"I expect it's because you're growing, silly!"

"So it's me, then?" Minna cast her a worried look, upside down, as Meg began a fresh braid.

"You?"

"And not Baby?"

"Oh, no, Baby's not big enough yet. You can't even see that I've got him inside, right?"

"Oh." Minna was quiet.

"There! You're all done," Meg planted a kiss on the top of her little sister's head. Minna got up and impetuously wrapped her arms around Meg's waist. She burrowed her head against her sister, and held her tight. "Anything on your mind, little one?" Minna shook her head, comforted to be called "little one" again. "You'll love Hogwarts," Meg mumured. "You'll see." And suddenly, Minna found her eyes brimming with hot tears.

"Clairey?" Meg called over the top of Minna's head. "Be sweetheart and take that loaf of bread carefully up the road to Mum. You can borrow the adventure book, if you like, and tell mum I'll come up with Minerva in a minute."

" 'K," Claire replied, absorbed in her book, and scrambled off her stool, eager to comply and get back to the story.

"What is it, Min?" Meg asked, holding her at arm's length once Claire had gone. Minna shook her head and snuffled back her tears. Truly she did not know.

This summer was different somehow, like the one where she had first discovered her magic. Only, then she knew exactly what it was, what these powers were. Those feelings had been easy. A tingling that allowed her to revive a dead posy drooping by the porch, or coax a butterfly to sun itself on her hand. This time around, it was like some power controlling her, instead of the proper way round. She would be laughing one moment, and sobbing the next, and somehow, impossibly angry at herself for being so mixed up. She could run faster, but she fell oftener too, and she was forever knocking into things and aggravating everyone.

"Oh, love, I know" Meg said, softly, understanding. "Come sit." She beckoned Minna to her lap.

"I'm too big" Minna whispered and the tears started again.

"No, no" Meg soothed and drew Minna down onto her lap in the big comfy chair that had been a wedding gift from Gram.

"But you . . .said . . . " Minna could not finish.

"I didn't mean you were too big to sit always, love! You're just tall enough, and your hair's long enough, that you're at an impossible angle for brushing" Meg snuggled Minna to her.

"But . . . but one day, one day I will be" Minna refused to be comforted.

"Ages away, yes!" Meg chuckled.

"No, not ages! I'm getting so tall, and now I'm going away and I won't be here when Baby's born and what if one day I'm taller than you?"

"What if? By then you'll be a great girl and you won't want to sit on my lap anymore!"

"No! I won't be taller than you! I won't! I'll take a shrinking potion!" Minna said stubbornly.

"Then you'll fit in my pocket, little sister" Meg teased.

"Meggy! Be serious!" Minna giggled despite herself.

"Yes, love? Serious about what?"

"About . . . about I don't know what. Only that I'll always want to sit on your lap."

"Then you always can."

"Even if I'm taller than you?"

"Even if. You'll always be slimmer, no doubt about it!" Meg joked, ruefully. She took after their father, tall and sturdy, where Minerva was fairy-thin and angular like their mother.

"Will you still have room on your lap when I come home and it's summer and you have Baby?" Minna whispered, ashamed that she even cared.

Meg chuckled again. "Here's what we'll do: Baby will sit on your lap and you'll sit on mine."

Minna smiled. "And Claire?"

"Merlin knows Claire doesn't sit anywhere!" Meg rocked Minna against her for a few minutes. "All righty, love, you've got a big day ahead. You need a fresh hankerchief and then you need to be off." She handed Minna one of her old ones, the ones that still said MM on them from before Meg got married. "Keep it. Keep it at school and remember to write to your old pregnant sister!"

Minna took it. "I'll always remember" she said, her voice trembling a bit.

"None of that!" Meg said, cheerfully. "Come! I'll walk with you" and with that, they set off for the big house.


	3. Introspection

Title: Learning to be Minerva

Title: Learning to be Minerva

Author: smalltumbleweed

Pairing: McGonagall/Hooch (Well, it's heading there eventually.)

Rating: G

Summary: Snapshots of Minerva's girlhood, starting just before her first year. Part three of . . .?

Disclaimer: ain't mine

A/N : This undoubtedly has elements of Minerva stories throughout the fandom because I swear I've read them all.

Shyness had begun with Dumbledore. Never before had Minna felt remotely shy. "My twin terrors" her Dad called them. Of course Minna and Claire weren't really twins, being eleven months apart.

"Mum!" Minna had shrieked through the house, the morning the Hogwarts owl arrived. "Mum! I'm not eleven yet!" And indeed her letter said that since she was not quite eleven, she'd been accepted on probitionary status until the end of first term. If her marks did not average at least Acceptable, she'd be welcome back at Hogwarts for the Autumn term the next year. No one asked Minna when she would prefer to go to Hogwarts. That is, until Professor Dumbledore showed up to discuss Ellie's Head Girl duties, and, apparently, Minna.

_What do you say? _Dumbledore had asked Minna. _Would you like to attend Hogwarts this Autumn?_

Nobody ever asked Minna these things. It was never "Minna would you like to . . . " do any number of things. Life was orderly, in the McGonagall household. Directions were clear and so were expectations. One washed the dishes, didn't hide poor spelling tests, kept one's buttons sewn on, and didn't chew the ends of one's braids. One went to Hogwarts when one got the letter.

Minna had forced herself to stand tall and listen to Dumbledore. He praised her marks from the village school, somehow skirting the topic of spelling. And then he addressed her directly: "I understand you've studied no magic yet, but your marks are most excellent, and you've shown a considerable amount of control over the magic you do have, roughly accurate so far?"

What exactly was one to say to that? "Yes" would be immodest and "no," likely inaccurate. Minna started at the toes of her best shoes, opting for slight rudeness.

"Usually we ask ten year olds turning eleven during the Autumn term to wait for a year," he continued, ignoring her disrespect "However, owing to the fact that you have a sister who's eleven months younger and will be starting next year, it seems advisable to start you this year. What do you say?"

"I have a choice?" Minna asked stupidly.

"No, Minna" her mother settled the issue. "Not really." That was the familiar, if undesired, answer.

So now, here she was in the library, sitting on her knees to reach her desk properly, writing a letter home. "Good morning, Minerva! You're up early!" Minna nearly jumped out of her skin at the woman's voice.

She turned to see the kindly smiling face of Professor Merrythought. "Good morning, m'am!" she replied, hurridly.

"What are you doing in the library so early on a Saturday?"

"Writing home." Her Defense professor gave her a warm smile.

"Getting along all right this term?" she inquired.

"Yes m'am" Minna whispered.

Professor Merrythought eyed her with concerned skepticism and then, said, abruptly, "You've had exceptionally good marks so far this term." Minna smiled, bashful and when she did not say anything more, Professor Merrythought continued, "Well, Minerva, I'd best go track down that book on hags I came in for, but anything you need, don't hesitate to stop by."

Minna nodded. "Thank you, m'am."

At breakfast she sat with the other little girls in her dorm. Bossy Augusta Dearborn suggested that they form a secret society, so they all sat together. Augusta, round-faced, blonde-pigtailed and often fretful, was in charge in name only. The real star of the show was Adele Johnson, an aimiable, loquacious girl who was unafraid to approach even the 7th years. She lived with her family in a comfortable flat over their shop in Diagon Alley and knew everything that went on in Wizarding London, and indeed beyond there. Minna thought everything about Adele was beautiful, especially the glowing red and gold beads on the ends of her braids. Her mum had charmed the beads to sparkle and almost glow when Adele turned her head. Adele laughed frequently and musically, and the effect came together with the sparkling beads to make her look otherwordly.

"You're so lucky you got sparkle beads on your braids," Bessie Thomas was sighing enviously at Adele as Minna sat down. "I haven't even got braids right now" she added, enviously.

"Curls suit you," Adele said warmly. And Bessie's ponytail of perfect dark corkscrews did suit her soft features and kind eyes.

The shyest girl in Gryffindor that year other than Minna was Divya Singh.

That was how the pairs shook out: Divya and Minna, Bessie and Augusta and then Adele, who was friends with everyone always and didn't seem to need a best friend.

At school, Minna found she was terribly shy. Away from her little village school (a dozen and a half wizarding kids of assorted ages) and her little sister, she wasn't sure what to do with herself. That, of course, was why she was at Hogwarts this year and not next year, with Claire.

"I . . . I didn't think I had a choice!" Minna replied.

"Well, you don't, Minna, not really" her mum answered. "We just had a chat with Professor Dumbledore about it and thought you might as well be a part of it."

"But Meg and Will went together!" Minna had a brilliant idea suddenly.

"Yes, but, love, they were rather more separate than you and Clairey."

"Oh." Yes, that would be it, Minna thought. "Claire and I are, um, too mischievous aren't we?"

"I'll say!" her dad joked, and that had been that.

In the end, Minna wasn't sure exactly why she felt so quiet all the time. She missed Claire sometimes, certainly, but it was hard to miss daily life with Claire in a place that was so very different from home. At home, life without Claire would be unbearable. Here at school, there had never been life with Claire, so it was hard to miss it.

Maybe, Minna though, she had always secretly been quiet. She tried to picture what she did when she wasn't with Claire: read books, climb trees to daydream, run races with herself in the little lanes around their house. None of those involved talking or mischief.

She had always been a trouble-maker, or, more precisely, half a trouble-making pair. She thought with a grin of the very first time she met Professor Dumbledore, tumbled at his feet with her plaits topsy-turvy. _He must have been dreading having me in his house! _ she thought.

When they first got to Hogwarts, everyone was quiet, awed by the splendor of the place. But Adele seemed at ease within a few days, Bessie and Augusta within the week, and even Divya now raised her hand in class. But Minna, or Minerva, now as she was called, didn't say a word. Not even to tell them that no one really called her Minerva.

She talked with the girls in her dormitory, a bit, anyway. And when they were very sure they were alone she and Divya could laugh and laugh. But for the most part, they just studied, and they were quite good at that too.


	4. Letters

September 25, 1936

Dear Minna,

It is very QUIET at home without you. Daddy says I am making more than enough noise to compensate. What are the other girls in your house like? Do you have a best friend? Are your marks as good as Ellie's? What is Hogwarts like? Is it very beautiful there? Is it cold yet? Do you have to wear a cloak? What's the best spell you've learnt? Have you played Quiddich at all? Have you been in the Forest? Why can't you tell me about the Sorting?

Mum has just read this over and said it has entirely too many questions. Oh, and now she says I shouldn't be writing that she said that and that maybe this is just a rough draft. I don't care. I love you, Minna. Christmas is doubly far away now.

love love love thousands of times,

Claire

September 26, 1936

Dearest Clairey,

You DO ask too many questions, silly! But don't worry, I love you. What's it like being in the top class in the village school? Are you ready for the Autumn races? I know you'll beat!

The other girls in my house are very nice, though I don't think I have a best friends. Augusta says we must form a secret society, but so far we haven't done very much of anything that seems secret to me. We picked secret names and then promised we must call each other by them always, but they are kind of too long to remember, so mostly we just use our real names. Anyway, we have secret meetings in our room some evenings and plot how we'll get the first year boys back. Except that the first year boys aren't like Davey Fulton and they don't really need getting back at . . . yet.

The best spell I've learnt (but don't tell Ellie or Mum!) is the Bat Bogey Hex. I was in the library studying with Divya, and these two sixth year boys started a ruckus. They were yelling something fierce and then suddenly one of them was covered with giant bogeys! Divya and I immediately stopped doing work and started looking up hexes. We found the incantation and practiced putting the hex on the tentacles of the giant squid in the lake. He didn't seem to mind. When I come home, I'll teach you how. That will fix Davey Fulton (if he doesn't tell his mum, that is).

love love love thousands of times,

Minna

September 26, 1936

Dear Mum & Dad,

How are you? To answer your questions I am well and everything at Hogwarts is fine. My marks are good. The other little girls are very nice. I haven't been in any trouble. Ellie is doing a marvelous job as Head Girl. I can't think of anything I want for my birthday.

love,

Minna

September 26, 1936

Dear Meggy,

How are you? No, I haven't forgotten you. How is everything at home? And you are not either old or fat! Don't you dare think that! I am being very good here. No trouble or anything. My marks are good. The other little girls are very nice. I can't think what else to write. I love you.

love,

Minna

September 28, 1936

Dear Mum,

How are you? Yes, I am quite well. No, I have not been in any trouble. My lowest mark has been an O. Everything is just fine.

love,

Minna

September 28, 1936

Dear Meggy,

How are you? No, nothing is wrong here. How is everything at home? I hope everything is well.

love,

Minna

September 29, 1936

Dearest Clairey,

Why on earth are Mum and Meg flooding me with owls? Can you spy and find out? I don't have time to answer one before another one arrives. Honestly, if I had anything to say, I'd write. Has everyone gone mad without me?

love,

Minna

September 30, 1936

Dear Minna,

You're in luck. I was reading your letter in the cupboard under the stairs and I heard Meg, Mum and Dad talking about you. Mum reckons you're in heaps of trouble. Meg said that's nonsense and you must be miserable. Dad said they were both worrying too much and you were probably just fine. Funny how no one thought to ask me, and I get heaps of letters from you that actually SAY THINGS.

Minna, you're being a prat. Why don't you just WRITE to them and TELL them things? You don't have to tell them REAL things. Just say something you've learnt in class. That would make Mum happy. Or tell Meg you have some friends. You DO have FRIENDS, don't you, Minna? The girls in your dorm, you like them, right?

But there's something I can't work out. Mum and Dad. Mum is always saying that we're dreadful and troublesome and she can't wait till we go to Hogwarts. And Dad says we're his twin terrors. And now you're AT Hogwarts and you're in no trouble at all, and Mum is being completely crazy. Mins, just go get in trouble or something.

love,

Claire

October 1, 1936

Dear Mum,

How are you? No, I am not telling tales. I promise I am not in any trouble. I am very happy. School is just lovely. Please don't worry. No, I still do not know what I want for my birthday.

love,

Minna

October 1, 1936

Dear Meggy,

How are you? I am sorry if I am worrying Mum. Please tell her that writing to Professor Dumbledore is a perfectly horrid idea.

love,

Minna

October 1, 1936

Dearest Clairey,

I am not either a prat! You beast!

I don't understand either. I thought they would be happy if I was being good at school and getting good marks rather than finding trouble. It's not my fault that marks haven't been sent out yet.

Good luck on the Autumn Races, even if you are a beast.

love,

Minna

My Dear Katherine,

I hope this owl finds you well. You have no cause to worry about either of your daughters. Rest assured I would have told you if Minerva were proving to be the slightest problem. Quite the contrary, she is polite, well-mannered and exceedingly quiet. At the moment, she is at the head of the first year class and seems to be at ease with the other young ladies in her year.

As to her terse letters, I cannot say. Perhaps it is the age? She is a lovely young lady and you needn't worry.

Warm regards,

Albus


	5. Non Verbal Spells

Christmas

Christmas! It seemed it would never come, and then suddenly Minna was done revising for exams, her lessons were completed, and she had three glorious days of freedom before she and Ellie would take a portkey home. The first real snow had arrived right in the thick of exams, when everyone was too busy to properly enjoy it, but Minna woke that Saturday to find the second blizzard of the year whirling outside her bedroom window. She smiled and burrowed deeper into her quilt.

When she could contain her excitement no longer, Minna forced herself to abandon her plan to sleep in and go on down to the Great Hall for breakfast. It not being a school day, she was momentarily occupied with the task of picking an outfit. She had become painfully aware that, outside of the confines of the village, nothing she owned would be considered smart. Her skirts fell just below the knee rather than just above; fast as she was growing, her ever-mindful mother had made the skirts extra long. Even her uniforms, having recently belonged to Meg and then Ellie, were rather longer and wider than they ought to be. All the other girls had clever little dresses for free dress days, so Minna had saved her pocket money all Autumn hoping that somehow she could contrive to buy something rather more presentable.

Frustrated, she picked any old thing-- a dark green woolen dress and a brown jumper-- and shoved them on. She had once been proud of her long, satiny-fine hair, but amidst the London girls with their stylish bobs and curls, her braids felt ugly and dowdy. Wanting somehow to look special, she wove her green tartan hair-ribbon into her hair and pulled it into one braid instead of two.

"What are you doing, Minna?" Ellie chuckled from the bathroom door.

"Going to breakfast!" Minna snapped.

"I meant with your hair. What are you doing to it?" Ellie's voice was still amused.

"Combing it" Minna replied defensively.

"Well, if you want my advice, take the ribbon out, because you haven't done it properly and even if you had, it would look stupid to the girls here."

Minna glared at her sister in the mirror.

"It's all right Mins, I can fix it if you want." Ellie laid a hand on her little sister's shoulder.

Unreasonably, Minna felt tears welling up in her eyes. She glared more ferociously, willing herself not to cry.

With two swishes of her wand and two non-verbal spells Ellie unwound the braids and restored Minna's hair to its usual two plaits. "Run along to breakfast, Mins. They've made ginger scones and the Great Hall smells marvelous."

Minna turned on her heel and made for the door, mumbling a thank you on her way.

~*~

When Minna got to the Great Hall, she found that Professor Dippet had combined two of the house tables to make one, and the few students who had not taken a portkey home the previous night were breakfasting together. Disoriented, Minna stopped just inside the door. No one looked familiar. "Accio book!" she murmured, wishing she knew how Ellie did everything non-verbally. Moments later her book flew in the doorway.

"Good catch!" a girl's laughing voice caught Minna by surprise. Mortified, Minna looked up to see an older girl she didn't know still chuckling at her. "Did you summon that thing, then?" she asked. Minna felt the tips of her ears turning pink.

"Yes" Minna said, more primly than she meant to.

"What for?"

"To read."

"At breakfast?" the girl's voice grew more incredulous.

"Yes."

"You're reading that tome-- Quiddich Through the Ages-- at breakfast?"

"Yes."

"Why on earth would _you_ be reading Quiddich Through the Ages anyhow?"

"Dunno." Minna was sure she was being made fun of now, but she couldn't figure out a graceful way to flee.

"What kind of a reason is that? Aren't we on holidays now?" Somehow the incessant questioning had covered the expanse of floor between doorway and table and Minna found herself sitting next to this girl. She snuck a look at her. Seated, she was still nearly a head taller than Minna. Her brown hair was cut short, just under her ears, but she didn't have any clips in it. She wore a thick gray wool sweater and boys' brown trousers. "You're not really going to read that thing at the table are you?"

Would she never stop? Minna wondered. "Yes I am." She replied stoutly.

"Huh. Well, have at it then!" the girl shrugged as she helped herself to breakfast.

Relieved, Minna took a scone and opened her book at last. She hadn't read half a paragraph when the girl interrupted her again.

"You're actually eating those?" She sounded shocked.

"What?" this time Minna stared blankly at her.

"The scones! No one eats _ginger_ scones, they're old-lady food!" the girl snorted.

"They're my favorite flavor." Minna retorted, before she could stop herself.

"Oy! You're ridiculous. How old are you anyway, short stuff? Ten and a half?"

"Eleven and a quarter," Minna replied and did not look up from her book this time. At this, the girl laughed so hard she had to put down her toast and pumpkin juice and grip the table for support.

"Eleven and a quarter? A quarter? Who says things like that!" she choked out, between gasped breaths.

Deciding that this situation could not be handled with grace, or possibly at all, Minna abandoned the remains of her scone, snatched up her book and fled, with one backwards, venemous glare. Cursing herself for everything from her ugly dress and braids to her hopeless conversational skills, Minna ran blindly for the stairs. Without thinking, she bolted up the stairs that would take her to Gryffindor tower, and, halfway up, sank her leg in one of the trick stairs and burst into tears, right there in the middle of the stairwell.

"Problems, Miss. McGonagall?" Dear gods and goddesses, Minna prayed. Why have you let this day get any worse than it already was? Why in the name of Merlin is Professor Dumbledore early to breakfast as well?

"No, Sir" Minna replied, hastily wiping away her tears.

"You've simply chosen to ensconce your left shoe in a trick stair so as to ensure that you will delight in every pleasure offered by this staircase on a beautiful Saturday morning?" His eyes twinkled down at her.

"Something like that, Sir," came her mumbled reply.

"I see." He studied her gravely. "I myself enjoy this staircase a little better at midnight, but I expect that as a student, you have had no occasion to enjoy it at that hour. Might I suggest one feasible improvement to your morning?"

Minna nodded, hoping that somehow this would all be over very soon and she could retreat back under the covers where she ought to have stayed.

"I find that I appreciate this particular staircase much more when I am free to move about," and he offered her a hand and gently pulled her to her feet. He looked at her strangely for a moment and adjusted his wand in his robe pocket before gliding off down the stairs to breakfast. She hadn't had time to thank him properly.

It wasn't until Minna had retreated back under her quilts with her book that she noticed the large satin ribbons of emerald green woven perfectly into her braids.


	6. Conversations

6.

Minna and Ellie arrived back at school two days earlier than most students because Ellie had head girl duties to attend to and there was no way the McGongalls were going to let Minna take a portkey by herself. To Minna's surprise, the portkey deposited the sisters in their head of house's office.

"Good afternoon, Professor!" Ellie greeted Dumbledore, treading lightly on Minna's toe to make sure she did the same.

Dumbledore beamed. "Had a good holiday, ladies?"

"Yes, sir!" Ellie replied, but Minna was too absorbed by the quantity of curiosities in Dumbledore's office to remember about manners.

"No doubt you've a bevy of friends waiting to greet you in the common room, so I won't keep you," Dumbledore gestured to the door with a pleasant smile. Ellie exited without a backward glance at her younger sister, who paused in the doorway, still transfixed by Dumbledore's office.

"Sir? Is that bird an actual phoenix?" Minna's school voice was a whisper as usual.

"Indeed! Extraordinary birds, phoenixes" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at Minna, and she felt a bit braver.

"Can his tears heal actual injuries?"

"I expect they can! Though I luckily haven't had to rely on them."

Feeling she had been given permission, Minna's eyes were as wide as saucers taking in the scope of the room. "Sir, may I ask you one more thing?"

"You may ask any number of things, Miss. McGonagall" Dumbledore smiled gently at the anxious-looking pigtailed child before him.

"Truly?" Dumbledore nodded solemnly, eyes still twinkling.

"Then, what's that silver instrument puffing smoke? And what do the runes around that basin mean? And why does that mirror over there show me in my house at Easter holidays instead of me right now? And, also--" and here Minna broke off, suddenly embarrassed by her deluge of questions.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Also?"

Minna stared at her toes, still anxious about chattering too much. "Also, I like your shelf of muggle literature."

"And what is your favorite work from this shelf?"

"I couldn't pick a favorite favorite," Minna said carefully. "But I'm fond of everything George Eliot writes. I thought 'The Great Gatsby' was incredibly clever, but it wasn't my sort of book, really. I think I should like to see New York City for myself some day. Oh, and I liked the Odyssey, too, though I don't see how the muggles missed that Odysseus was a wizard."

"Indeed! Do you read Greek?"

"Not very well," Minna replied regretfully.

"Ah. I was going to lend you the version in Greek. Instead, perhaps you'd like to pick another book?"

"May I? I miss muggle literature at school."

"Of course. Your sister Margaret borrowed several books a term throughout her years here. I should have thought to offer it sooner!"

"Meg borrowed books from you?"

"Oh yes indeed! She generally favored more modern works. I believe Virginia Woolf was a particular favorite of hers."

"Could I borrow one of those, then?" Minna was suddenly shy again.

"Let's see," he murmured, surveying his shelf. " 'To the Lighthouse' is out right now. 'The Voyage Out' would suit you, but you won't love it half so well if you don't read 'Mrs. Dalloway' first and find Clarissa completely captivating, so here you are: Mrs. Dalloway!"

"Thank you, sir!"

"I would be happy to hear your thoughts on it, Miss. McGonagall. But I shouldn't keep you from your friends any longer."

Minna recognized the polite dismissal, thanked him again, and set off for the common room.

~*~

The common room was empty when Minna arrived, but upon entering her dormitory, she found Divya had already unpacking her trunk. There was a moment when both girls stood stock still staring at each other across the silent dorm room, and then suddenly they were hugging and giggling all at once.

"Mins, it's not fair! You got taller over the holidays" Divya exclaimed when they broke apart.

"If I did, you did too!" Minna grinned.

"I don't think so! All Patils are short. Especially my little brother Ravi!"

"How is he?"

"So darling! He was the best bit of the holidays for me" Divya glowed. "What about for you? What was the best bit of being home?"

"The same, really: seeing my sisters. Especially Claire. We played some good pranks."

"No! I can't believe you'd play pranks, Minerva!"

"Oh yes! All sorts!" Minna grinned wickedly.


End file.
